Aikido Container Image Scanning vs Chainguard VMs: Side-by-Side Comparison (2026)

Aikido Container Image Scanning

Teams shipping containers at scale across multiple registries need Aikido Container Image Scanning because its reachability analysis cuts false positives by actually determining which CVEs can execute in your environment, not just flagging every known vulnerability. The tool scans Kubernetes workloads directly and integrates with 12 major registries including ECR, GCR, and Artifactory, with AutoFix generating pull requests to patch real risks automatically. Skip this if your organization runs fewer than 50 container images monthly or needs runtime threat detection alongside build-time scanning; Aikido stops at the image layer and doesn't monitor what happens after deployment.

Chainguard VMs

Teams running containerized workloads across AWS, GCE, or Azure will benefit most from Chainguard VMs if your priority is eliminating OS-level CVE risk before it enters your supply chain. The zero-CVE guarantee backed by a 7-day critical remediation SLA and continuous automated rebuilds means you're not patching; you're replacing. Skip this if you need application-layer runtime protection or behavioral threat detection, since Chainguard VMs optimize for asset hygiene (NIST ID.AM and PR.PS) but don't detect or respond to actual attacks in motion.